Frailty and cognitive impairment—A review of the evidence and causal mechanisms

• Published in: Ageing research reviews Vol. 12; no. 4; pp. 840 - 851
• Main Authors: Robertson, Deirdre A, Savva, George M, Kenny, Rose Anne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier 01-09-2013
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease - diagnosis; Alzheimer Disease - epidemiology; Alzheimer Disease - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - epidemiology; Cognition Disorders - psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Dementia - diagnosis; Dementia - epidemiology; Dementia - psychology; Development. Metamorphosis. Moult. Ageing; Frail Elderly - psychology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Internal Medicine; Longitudinal Studies; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Neurology; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Frailty; Cognition; Dementia; Cognitive impairment; Senescence; Cognitive disorder; Biological marker; Review; Mechanism; Incidence; Intellectual deterioration; Cause; Degenerative disease; Achievement; Public health; Human; Rate; Anatomic pathology; Treatment; Frailty in elderly; Early; Limit; Causality; Predictive factor; Elderly; Bibliographic review
• ISSN: 1568-1637; 1872-9649
• DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2013.06.004

Highlights • Frailty may be a marker for future cognitive impairment. • Executive function is the cognitive domain most strongly associated with frailty. • Frailty and cognition interact within a cycle of age-associated decline. • AD pathology, cardiovascular risk, depression, and others, are potential mediators. • Our new model outlines the interactions between these hypothesised causal mechanisms.